mfg Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 On 11/27/62, a two week training course was begun at Studebaker in South Bend. Would anyone have any idea what this course was about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Avanti service training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dapy Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 How many were enrolled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 That would be interesting to know...how many dealerships sent someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Avanti service training. Could you be more specific? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Any other thoughts on this question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Once again, nothing more specific than 'service training'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 How to work with fiberglass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 You got it!!!....A two week training course on 'working with fiberglass' was offered ( I'm guessing this was just before Avanti body production in South Bend began) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dapy Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Is it true that complete fiberglass bodies were produced in South Bend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Yes...Studebaker set up a body production line in South Bend due to production bottlenecks and delays from MFG in Ohio. Body numbers over 5000 were South Bend produced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) No, they were never made in South Bend. They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass) This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker) Edited January 25, 2015 by brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 No, they were never made in South Bend. They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass) This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker) You might be right about that Brad,....but that would also mean that later Avanti ll production was accomplished by using panels previously made by MFG and shipped to Studebaker?...I'm not so sure about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 No, they were never made in South Bend. They were ASSEMBLED in South Bend, BUT, the panels were molded in Astabula Ohio @ MFG (Molded Fiber Glass) This is my understanding. I have never seen a picture of panels being produced in South Bend (@ Studebaker) That may certainly be correct but that's the first time I've seen it said. I always understood Studebaker "produced" Avanti bodies but maybe it wasn't spefically defined. MFG did supply complete bodies to Avanti Motors for a time...they had something like 150 bodies leftover when Studebaker cancelled the contract...but at some point they simply supplied body panels and Avanti Motors began assembling them themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2Andy Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Made vs assembled is a mater of semantics. Studebaker and MFG both assembled the Avanti bodies from components produced by both MTG and outside suppliers. The fiberglass panels themselves were molded by MFG in their plant in molds owned by Studebaker. Gunslinger comment regarding Avanti motors is correct although I don't remember the exact number of left over bodies off hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunslinger Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I don't know the exact number, but I understand there were about 150 complete Avanti bodies leftover at MFG when Studebaker cancelled the contract. That's a lot to have sitting around and taking up space. It's no wonder Bob Morrison of MFG was so willing to work with Nate Altman when approached about supplying Avanti Motors with car bodies...it turned a complete loss of money into revenue and got the dead inventory out of the way plus an ongoing revenue stream with continued business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfg Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 I don't know the exact number, but I understand there were about 150 complete Avanti bodies leftover at MFG when Studebaker cancelled the contract. That's a lot to have sitting around and taking up space. It's no wonder Bob Morrison of MFG was so willing to work with Nate Altman when approached about supplying Avanti Motors with car bodies...it turned a complete loss of money into revenue and got the dead inventory out of the way plus an ongoing revenue stream with continued business. Wow!....with 150 completed Avanti bodies on hand when Stude folded, Altman's business proposal to Morrison must have seemed like a godsend to the later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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